July 2011

Release Date: July 5, 2011

Penry Named VP for Development at ASU

Dr. Jason C. Penry, Angelo State University’s executive director of development who has spearheaded the university’s record-breaking capital campaign, has been promoted to vice president for development, effective immediately.

ASU President Joseph C. Rallo said the promotion acknowledges the development team’s unprecedented fundraising success at Angelo State.

“Since Dr. Penry arrived on campus in the summer of 2009, donations to the university have set annual records and our capital campaign is on a pace to significantly surpass our original $25 million goal. That success is attributable to Dr. Penry’s leadership and the hard work that he and the team he has put together have done on behalf of Angelo State.”

“Philanthropy,” Rallo continued, “will play an important role in helping us secure the future we envision for ASU. By creating this new vice presidential position we recognize the significance of that role in the university’s life, and by filling it with a dedicated professional such as Dr. Penry, we reaffirm our commitment to that future.”

As ASU’s chief fundraising officer, Penry oversees the university’s advancement program, including the annual fund, donor cultivation, major gifts, capital campaign and foundation support. He also coordinates development activities in line with the broader fundraising goals of the Texas Tech University System (TTUS), ASU’s governing body.

Dr. Kelly Overley, TTUS vice chancellor for institutional advancement, said, “Dr. Penry’s professionalism and attention to detail make him an extremely effective fundraiser. He has raised more money than anyone in the history of ASU and, thus, is about to reach Angelo State’s capital campaign goal of $25 million. This was a huge undertaking, but he knew it could be done because of his faith in the donors, alumni and friends of ASU.”

To date ASU has raised $22.38 million toward the $25 million goal set for the university’s first capital campaign, which is scheduled to run through 2013. The 2010-11 academic year has been the most successful fundraising year in the history of ASU with $7.46 million raised during the first nine months of the fiscal year. The previous annual high was $4.8 million in 2008.

Prior to heading ASU’s Office of Development, Penry worked two and a half years as executive director of the Oklahoma State University POSSE, the fundraising arm of athletics. In that capacity he managed an 11-member staff and a $3.95 million budget. During his tenure, the organization raised $26 million in annual fund revenues and increased membership 61 percent over a two-year period.

Prior to serving at Oklahoma State, he worked three years with the 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M University. Most of his time with the foundation was as development officer for major gifts. In that capacity he assisted in the successful completion of a $50 million capital campaign for A&M athletics.

During his time at A&M, he also worked as a sport management program associate, teaching a graduate-level sport management course in development and serving as associate director for the Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics.

A native Texan, Penry holds his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Texas A&M. He earned a Master of Science in sport management from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He received his Bachelor of Arts in secondary education from LSU-Shreveport, where he was a member of the intercollegiate baseball team and student body president for the 2000-01 academic year.

He is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association of Athletic Directors of Development.